Will Ferrell serenades graduates with Whitney Houston ballad
Will Ferrell serenaded graduates at the University of South California with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’.
The 49-year-old actor graduated from the school in 1990, and returned on Friday (12.05.17) to give the commencement address at the ceremony honouring those who were receiving their degrees.
On top of his moving speech, the ‘Step Brothers’ star decided to entertain the crowd with an unusual cover of Whitney Houston’s notoriously difficult ballad as he said he would "always love" the students of the University.
He sang to the crowd plus those watching the livestreamed event online: "If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I’ll go, but I know, I’ll think of you every step of the way. And I will always love you, will always love you, will always love you, Class of 2017. And I will always love you! Thank you. Fight on!"
Before launching into the song, the ‘Anchorman’ actor told the students to think of him singing the song "gently" in their ear whenever they "feel a little down".
He said: "Class of 2017, I just want you to know you will never be alone on whatever path you may choose. If you do have a moment where you feel a little down just think of the support you have from this great Trojan family and imagine me, literally picture my face, singing this song gently into your ear."
It wasn’t all fun and games though, as Will – who has sons Magnus, 13, Mattias, 10, and Axel, seven, with his wife Viveca Paulin – also offered some serious advice.
He said: "To those of you graduates sitting out there who have a pretty good idea of what you’d like to do with your life, congratulations. For many of you who maybe don’t have it all figured out, it’s okay. That’s the same chair that I sat in. Enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result."
